Volunteer fire department almost complete

ARGYLE — The new Argyle Volunteer Fire Department
station is nearly completed, after a minor delay in construction, and officials
are hoping to move into their new building by mid-November.

Fire Chief Mac Hohenberger said the new $3.5 million
station will replace the current station, which he says is unsafe, outdated and
too small to meet the needs of the department.

“It’s a very old-fashioned building,” he said. “It
was built by the volunteers in 1973, so it’s very old and not something we should
stay in for too much longer.”

Construction crews began work on the new station in
August 2012 at FM407 and South Gibbons Road.

The new 15,600-square-foot station is designed to
stand for at least 50 years to meet the needs of the growing region.

Currently, there are about 12,000 residents in the
fire district, and according to state data, in about 50 years, that number is
expected to jump to about 50,000, officials said.

“We plan on getting a lot of use out of that
building,” said Hohenberger, who has been with the department for 22 years. “I
won’t be here in 50 years, but it’s important to have it here before you really
need it.”

The fire department is its own entity and is
operated by an appointed board.

However, the town of Argyle has helped and
supported the fire department’s efforts often, Town Manager Charles West said.

“We did some road and intersection improvement work
for them out by the new station,” West said. “They operate separately from us,
but we do support them.”

The fire department uses a combination of paid and
volunteer firefighters, and there are at least four firefighters on duty at two
stations, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The second station, which was built in 2009, sits
along Copper Canyon Road and serves the eastern side of the district. The new
station will serve the western half.

Hohenberger said the new station on FM407 was
partly funded by the creation of the Denton County Emergency Service District
No. 1 in 2006 and from the sale of the department’s current building.

The district allows the fire department to collect
10 cents per $100 valuation on properties in each city the department serves.

“If it weren’t for the tax, I don’t know what we
would do,” Hohenberger said. “It supports almost everything we do.”

He said the tax also helps pay for the fire
department’s equipment, vehicles and other fire-fighting necessities.

Hohenberger said that with the new station nearly
completed, he’s hoping it will allow the department to serve the region more
efficiently.

The department is responsible for providing fire,
rescue and emergency medical services for the residents of Argyle, Bartonville,
Copper Canyon, Corral City, Lantana and Northlake.

The department’s coverage also includes the
unincorporated Denton County areas surrounding those cities.

The new station will also include an area for
training employees, which Hohenberger said the current station lacks.

The current station is very limiting in terms of
efficiency, and his team is excited to make the move, Hohenberger said.

“The larger station will allow us to take better
care of our equipment and, hopefully, boost the morale in the department,” he
said. “This new station will definitely put us in a better position than where
we are now.”

JOHN D. HARDEN can be reached at 940-566-6882 and
via Twitter at @JDHarden.

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